CHAPTER XIV 
MILK TRADITIONS 
TRADITIONS and superstitions have been handed 
down from father to son through generations of 
dairymen. These often prevent the farmer from 
accepting modern methods of dairy practice which 
are necessary to reduce the bacteria in his milk. 
Some of these beliefs are as follows: 
SMOTHERED TASTE 
Warm milk put into a can and covered with a 
tight lid, over night, will taste smothered. The 
smothered taste will appear unless milk is left 
uncovered so that the smother can escape. The 
truth is that the odor and taste are due to cow- 
manure which has fallen into milk from unclean 
cows or from dust in the stable air, or it is due 
to foul odors in the air of the stable itself. Clean 
milk can be put into cans with lids tightly on, 
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